The Cost of Being Royal

Soaking the cloth into the lukewarm herbal solution, Adrian pressed it against his shoulder, wincing slightly at the feel of that familiar sting. Zahra had managed to hurt him pretty bad, as dabbing it at with the medicine made him feel worse than he had before.

The room was empty, bare of the servants that usually worked inside. The moment Adrian had set foot, they'd left the room, giving him the cold shoulder. It didn't hurt as much as it used to. Adrian had been given this treatment by most of those who lived inside the castle for almost twelve years now. He'd learnt to adapt to it.

The sound of the door creaking open distracted him. Trying to glance over his shoulder, then changing his mind, he stood up and turned around to only meet the familiar face of the Prince.

"What are you doing here, Sire?" He asked, voice wavering in a sarcastic but genuinely surprised tone. A few minutes ago, his friend hadn't seemed to be in a very talkative mood. But now, here he was.

The Prince made a face at the formality and sat down on one of the free chairs. Gesturing at his wound, he asked, "How's your shoulder?"

"Could be better," Adrian replied, tossing the cloth onto the wooden counter of the desk. "So what's the matter?"

Alexander sighed, resting his back against the surface of the chair as he met Adrian's concerned gaze. "Once I start talking, I might go on for a long time," he warned.

Adrian smiled, sensing the topic. It was another one of those times when being royal just came back to bite him hard on the butt.

"I'm here to listen."

Alexander was about to open his mouth to talk when the door slammed open. One of the servants scuttled into the room, an expression panic slapped across their face with wide eyes.

"Sire! The prisoner - she has escaped!"

He moved his arms around in wild gestures as if to make the point. Sighing, both Alexander and Adrian stood up simulatenously. "Whose turn is it?" Alexander asked. Grinning Adrian poked his friend lightly on the arm.

"Yours."

The two alternated the Prince's royal tasks - whenever it had to do with simple matters as such. But this time, Adrian knew there was going to be more of a challenge. Changing his mind, he said, "I'll accompany you."

The Prince waved his servant away and waited for Adrian who slipped on a fresh shirt. Smiling, Adrian said, "Ready when you are."

"Then that would be never," Alexander muttered to himself but Adrian had heard.

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